Successful Treatment of Functional Neurologic Symptom Disorder (Conversion Disorder) With Subdissociative Dose Ketamine in the Emergency Department.
Journal of the American College of Emergency Physicians open October 1, 2025 Anna R Kimata, Keaton T Cameron-Burr, Taneisha Wilson 1 citation
A 28-year-old man transferred to a trauma center for suspected spinal cord injury after a fall was diagnosed with functional neurologic disorder after negative testing. His symptoms did not respond to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or benzodiazepines. Intravenous subdissociative dose ketamine led to rapid symptom resolution and discharge. Subdissociative ketamine may be a safe, effective, and efficient therapy for acute FND exacerbations in the emergency department, though factors mediating outcomes need further study.